


Seeking Shelter, Seeking Safety

by rebecca_selene



Category: Anastasia (1997)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-16 11:22:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18093350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebecca_selene/pseuds/rebecca_selene
Summary: On her quest to find out about her past, Anya seeks shelter in a snowstorm.





	Seeking Shelter, Seeking Safety

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noxelementalist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxelementalist/gifts).



[ ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_Choral_Synagogue,_St._Petersburg,_Russia,_main_hall.jpg)

Shivering, only the small warm spot against her chest under her coat to remind her she was actually still alive, Anya finally gave up. She stumbled toward the first dark wall she saw, praying it housed shelter, any kind of relief from the bitter snowstorm enveloping her and making her feel even smaller than usual against its might. She had no strength to lift her numb hands to knock, so she thumped her shoulder against the heavy wooden door, its surface the only thing keeping her from falling over. She hoped someone inside would hear, but after a minute of silence, she groaned and let herself slide down the door’s surface. Her bundled elbow caught at the handle on the way down, and the door opened. She tumbled inside, a yip of protest sounding from her coat. Pooka jumped out and away from Anya’s prone form.

Bleary-eyed, her frozen brain trying to make sense of these new conditions, Anya looked out to the street. She could barely see the dark outline of the other buildings she was sure she wouldn’t have had the strength to go to one by one until someone opened to her. She dragged herself further into the building and kicked the door shut as soon as her feet were clear. The howling, frigid wind beat at the door, but it held steady against the onslaught.

Anya let her head fall back onto the hard floor. She inhaled, closing her eyes in relief upon discovering she could breathe without shards of ice searing her lungs. Pooka sped up the process of warming her cheeks with helpful licks until Anya had enough energy to laugh and gently push him away. To distract herself from the painful tingling in her thawing limbs, Anya stood and pulled a matchbook out from her pocket. She lit a match and peered into the gloom to see what kind of building had sheltered her from the storm. Her neck craned up, and up, and up. Though she couldn’t see the ceiling, she had a sense that it rose far above her head. The edges of her match light just barely illuminated open galleries on both sides of the vast space. Her gaze wandered up across the backs of many rows of benches leading up to the front, disappearing into the darkness.

“Hello?” she called, more to test the echo potential of the chamber than because she expected a response. She smiled when her voice bounced back to her, making Pooka yelp and take cover behind her feet, growling into the darkness.

“It’s okay, Pooka.” The match flickered out, and she lit another one. “Let’s see what we can find.” She made her way down the center aisle. Something crinkled under her feet, and when she paused to bend down and discover what it was, she saw old crumpled newspapers written in a script she didn’t recognize. She continued toward the other end of the room, her match light slowly revealing various domes and intricate artwork. At the center of the raised dais was a star shape she recognized from a necklace one of her fellow orphans had worn. She fingered her own necklace. Though the designs were completely different, she found a comfort in the steady symbol overlooking the large space she realized must be place of worship.

Finally sensing safety, Anya relaxed. All at once she felt the cold leaving her body take her energy with it. She chose a bench at random and lay down just as the second match extinguished. Pooka immediately jumped up to cuddle with her, and she wrapped him in her arms.

“We’ll take a closer look at everything in the morning light,” she told him, thinking of the promise of beauty the match light had hinted at along the walls. Until then, she let herself sleep.


End file.
